2021 Top Posts

Image by Daniel Lobo
via Creative Commons

In 2021, I only posted about once a month. Why the drop in productivity? 

Skip to the end of this post for information about the reading I have been doing related to the pandemic. 

To avoid presenting an archive for the year, I'm going to present a different kind of Top 10. 

These five posts were written/published in 2021. 

Out of the 13 posts published this year, they received the most views. 

1. 2021 Mid-American Institute on Aging & Wellness: A Preview. July 31, 2021

2. Supernova: A Film Review July 1, 2021

3. Ten Books: An Essential Library on Aging. April 17, 2021

4. 2020 Report on Older Americans. March 29, 2021

5. Nomadland: Film with a View on Poverty April 29, 2021

Pandemic Work Habits: From Lock Down to Overload

 

"Brain activity" by Cristóbal Cobo Romaní 
is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Since the start of August, I have been experiencing anxiety and memory problems. I have considered a number of causes (and consulted some licensed medical professionals).  I will into detail, but the graph above is the most elegant explanation. 

The low part at the left (understimulated) represents the first half of 2021. The low part at the right (overstimulation) represents the second half of 2021. 

A Quick Look at 2020, the Year Living on Cortisol and Adrenalin  

From February 2020 to December 2020, I was very busy preparing for life changes that I saw based on news I was reading out of China, California, New York, and Italy.  Then starting the second week of March 2020, both universities where I taught moved to online only. Thankfully, I had been using Blackboard, an electronic teaching tool, for years. It's a great way to supplement face-to-face instruction. 

But then in Fall of 2020, I learned how to use Zoom. Not only did I teach two classes, I also initiated ways to connect with a variety of people. I filed grades the second week of December then spent time with family who were able to gather together again thanks to testing and physical distancing. 

January to July: Pandemic Fatigue, Winter Blahs, and Hermit Habits

In the Winter of 2021, I only taught one class: Death, Dying and Bereavement with additional material related to deaths caused by COVID-19. That's when I hit a low. I had been in lockdown at home since March of 2020. I was only teaching one class, and it was emotionally demanding because of the topic and because my students were experiencing high levels of anxiety and depression, which made it difficult for them to do the assigned work. I stayed in my pajamas and watched a lot of British Detective shows and, thanks in a large part to the film Dig (2020), I also watched several documentaries about the history of England. 

The spring did bring an uptick in my energy and cognition. I taught a very demanding class online: teaching first-year college writing to 109 engineering students in China. I also was vaccinated (Pfizer, two inoculations).  However it took me two months of hang wringing before I returned to the gym and to church. 

Summer of 2021: Delta Came to SW Indiana

Vaccinated on the Anniversary of the Pandemic

 

Photo by JernejFurman
via Creative Commons

On Thursday, 11 March 2021 I received my first vaccine to protect me from acquiring the disease COVID-19 in the event that I aim infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

Because I received the Pfizer vaccine, I will receive the second vaccine in three weeks. 

Two weeks after that (around Tax Day), I will achieve the maximum immunity provided by that vaccine. My husband is on a schedule for his vaccine just three days behind me.  

I will always be able to remember the date of my first vaccination because it was the one-year anniversary for when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 had reached pandemic levels. 

The media has published a variety of retrospectives, so I will refrain from making observations about society at large. I can report on my own situation with some authority. 

Briefly stated, I have moved from vigilance to mania to information overload to worry to depression and now I feel an ember of hope. 

2020 Top 10 Posts

Image by Josh Mazgelis via Creative Commons

Each December of the life of this blog, I post a list of the ten posts composed over the year that received the highest views. 

Because of the global pandemic, many of my posts posted this year focus on SARS-CoV-2 (the virus) and COVID-19 (the disease). 

Four of the ten posts in this year's Top 10 do come from topics more typical for my blog: three book reviews regarding aging and one preview for a conference on aging. 

Here is the list in descending order of views (most viewed first): 

1. Virtual MAIA Every Thursday in August. 23 June 2020.  LINK

2. Podcasts about COVID-19. 1 July 2020.  (and SARS-CoV-2). LINK

3. Books about Epidemics and Pandemics.  31 May 2020. LINK

4. Coronavirus, Ageism, Ableism and More. 1 March 2020.  LINK

5. This Chair Rocks: Book Review. 7 January 2020.  LINK

6. MacKay's Swiss Cheese Virus Defense. 31 October 2020.  LINK

7. Settings that Heighten Risk for SARS-CoV-2 Transmission. 12 June 2020. LINK

Mackay's Swiss Cheese Virus Defense

This is just a detail.
Keep reading to view
Mackay's entire C19 infographic.

People from all vocations are seeking ways to address the current COVID-19 Pandemic.  

Researchers are verifying that we benefit from adopting MULTIPLE MITIGATION LAYERS in order to reduce the spread of viruses. 

As a gerontologist, I am reading about the vulnerabilities that older adults face if they become infected with SARS-CoV-2. 

As a university teacher, I am guiding my students to write papers based on peer-reviewed, scientific articles about the virus and the resulting disease. 

And as a family member, I am constantly seeking information on how to protect myself and my family. 

By following scientists and medical professionals on Twitter, I read information about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 before the mainstream media brings information from medical research to the lay reader. 

Here is my Twitter list of 200 plus COVID-19 stakeholders. 

This is where I discovered Ian M. Mackay, PhD, who uses his expertise as a virologist on his Twitter account @MackayIM Mackay has a PhD in virology from University of Queensland where he now works as an adjunct associate professor. 

Keep the Home Fires Burning during a Pandemic

I'm spending way too much time in my office. 

Most of my posts take an objective tone--whether using a first person or third person narrator.

Today, I am going to dispose of my usual "let's present some research" approach. 

Instead, let me testify of the value of keeping the home fires burning. 

Check the Data: COVID19 Dashboards

 

Image by WonderWhy7439.

As a gerontologist (and a mortal), I am taking a keen interest in the COVID-19 (C19) pandemic. 

These are some of the tools I use frequently. 

In an effort to mitigate the risk of contracting the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-19), I consult various dashboards that evaluate the risk factors for countries, states, or counties based on one or more of the following criteria: 

• Cases of C19 by number or per 100K or per capita
• Testing rate by goal, per 100K or per capita
• Hospitalizations by number or percentage of capacity
• ICU beds and/or ventilators by number or percentage of capacity
• Death by number or by percentage excess from prior years. 

This is the web page I check first. 

Harvard Global Health Institute maintains a map of the US that is easy to scan for severity of risk by county: green, yellow, orange and red.  

HGHI's Risk Level dashboard also provides the number of new cases per day (on a 7 day moving average) for the state. If you click on the state, you can find the county information, too. This is important, because counties within a state can vary. 

For example, Florida as of August 1, 2020 reports these rates for new C19 cases:

• The state of Florida reports 43.6 new cases per day per 100,000
• Glades County, FL reports 8.3 cases per 100,000
• Jefferson County, FL reports 168.5 cases per 100,000

Podcasts about COVID-19

Image by Menage a Moi.

We are still learning about the coronavirus (aka COVID-19 or SARS-COV-2).

I usually read as a way to digest information. 

However, I have been exploring podcasts as a way to learn about the current pandemic. 

By using various search terms on Spotify, I found more than 50 podcasts that include COVID-19 content.

There are many more episodes about the virus / the pandemic within existing podcasts.

To date, I have listened to at least one episode (often more) of 50 podcasts dedicated to SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19.

If you only have 30 minutes a week to listen to a podcast about the pandemic, I HIGHLY recommend listening to Dr. Daniel Griffin, MD / PhD of Columbia University present his clinical report via TWIV (This Week in Virology).  

Here is the Link to all the TWIV episodes. 

Scroll until you find the most recent one by Dr. Griffin. 

Here is a list of some of  his publications via Google Scholar 

Here is the team behind Parasites without Borders, including Dr. Griffin. 

I present to you my Top 10 Podcast about SARS CoV-2 (the virus) and COVID-19 (the disease).

Last Update: 4 August 2021 

I found these podcasts (listed alphabetically) on Spotify, but many are also available in other places. 

Settings that Heighten Risk for SARS-CoV-2 Transmission

Photo by diofw

Because I want to better understand the risk factors for coronavirus (aka COVID-19 the disease, SARS-COV-2 the virus), I wrote a post in April about biological risk factors such as obesity and diabetes. I'm adding to that post as new risk factors are announced (such as blood type).

Basically, these elements increase risk of COVID-19 transmission:

• Being INDOORS (less ventilation of fresh air, more risk)
• Being in a CROWDED space (closer to people, more risk)
• LINGERING in that space over times (more time, more risk)
• Being in a county with a HIGH INFECTION RATE (more community infection, more risk)
• Being in a crowd WITH TRAVELERS from many other locations (more counties, more risk)
• Being in a crowd where people PROJECT THEIR VOICE OR BREATH by talking, cheering, yelling, crying, booing, singing, panting, coughing, sneezing (more people exhaling forcefully with high frequency, more risk)

The date of this post is June 12th, but as I read news stories and scholarly studies, I will be adding information about settings that are high risk factors for transmission.

Books about Epidemics and Pandemics

I've decided to channel some of my nervous energy about COVID-19 into reading books about pandemic directed at the lay reader. I do read news stories and scientific updates, but it's hard to see the forest from the trees right now. 

By looking at the work of epidemiologists narrating how they have addressed various outbreaks over the last 100 years, I can learn something about how people respond to contagions that cause epidemics and pandemics. 


Here's my list in reverse chronology.

The Plague: Book Review

Published in 1947.

Albert Camus wrote The Plague, a novel about a plague occurring during the 1940s in Oran, an Algerian town.

I decided to spend the month of April 2020 reading this novel, given the way that COVID-19 aka coronavirus has dominated the attention in most venues--from international news to dinner table conversations.

The book has 30 chapters, so I was able to focus on a chapter a day.

Reading a fictional account gave me the opportunity to gain a little distance from my own experience. 

The two main narrators of the novel--Dr. Rieux and Mr. Tarrou--record their response to Oran's plague.

Camus' novel does not strive for historical or scientific accuracy. Instead, it is an exploration of the meaning of suffering, the meaning of life, and how people create purpose.

For a more detailed summary, see my Goodreads Review, which is more about describing each "tree" (chapter summaries) and not so much about "the forest." Also, the GR review contains over two dozen direct quotes. 

Risk Factors for Severe Cases of COVID-19

Image by Pariswestren via Creative Commons

I have been hesitant about posting, because I feel as though all interest is about COVID-19 aka the coronavirus, but I'm not an infectious disease specialist, an epidemiologist, or a community health expert. But I am reading about this every day.

Travel and contact with an infected people are chief risk factors, but what other risk factors are emerging?

Coronavirus, Ageism, Ableism and More

I am a digital native within Twitter. I generally follow accounts related to gerontology.

Over the last month, I have been alarmed by how many people downplay the potential impact of COVID-19 aka coronavirus because it "ONLY" affects older adults and those with underlying medical conditions.

Only.

The dismissive language comes not only in the comments to the news outlets but within the language of the media as well.

It's disheartening to read hundreds of responses that convey an underlying ageism and ableism.


(I have also read a lot of responses from the rank-and-file that express xenophobia and/or racism. However, others are better equipped at parsing the origins and implications of those forms of prejudice, which are equally abhorrent.)

I'm alarmed that  many feel emboldened to devalue populations of older adults and people with illnesses.